UN official from Chicago died in Haiti earthquake

January 19, 2010

A Chicago native who was a top aide to the head of the UN's peacekeeping mission in Haiti was confirmed as one of the casualties in the rubble of the UN headquarters following last week's earthquake, his family said this morning.

Andrew Grene, 44, was born here, attended New Trier High School and obtained degrees from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. His work with the UN had taken him to such hotspots as the Central African Republic and East Timor.

But Grene had particular love for Haiti, his twin brother, Gregory, said by phone from New York. The family had gathered there to await news as relief workers dug through the rubble of the United Nations complex in Port Au Prince. The death toll for UN workers in Haiti is approaching 50, already the worst single loss of life in the organization's history.

While others saw the poor nation as a hopeless cause, Grene believed in the potential of the Haitian people he had come to help protect.

"He believed passionately in the Haitian people," his brother said. "He believed in their vivacity, their charm. He believed in giving every person in the world a fair shot, and he gave his life for that."

Grene split his childhood between Ireland and Chicago, where his late father, David Grene, was a noted professor of classics at the University of Chicago. His mother, Ethel, remains an emergency-room doctor in Illinois.

While a child, Grene's family lived in Hyde Park and Wilmette. He graduated from the University of Chicago and obtained a master's degree at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern. His brother said he won a national award for his articles.

While accepting the award in New York, Grene applied to work for the United Nations. His first post was as a speechwriter for then Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali, his brother said.

Grene transitioned into peacekeeping where he wrote several works on the subject. In Haiti, he was a political affairs officer and special assistant to Hedi Annabi, the Tunisian diplomat who headed the mission and who had earlier been confirmed as one of the casualties.

One of his colleagues in Haiti, Jean-Marc Koumoue, said Grene had a charismatic personality. A lover of cigars, Grene often would host parties at his home that would center around his pool table, Koumoue said. His chili con carne recipe was especially popular.

Koumoue said he was always impressed Grene took the time to get to know the Haitian people. He often shopped at local art markets, and his family said their homes were decorated with paintings by budding artists that Grene wanted to support.

"He was not the guy who sits in the office and then goes home and then back to the office the next morning," said Koumoue, by telephone from France.

The family said Grene will be buried in Ireland.

He is also survived by his wife, Jennifer, and three children, Patrick, Alex and Rosamund. The two oldest children are currently students at the University of Chicago. The family currently lives outside New York City.

"He was a man who was made of love," his brother said. "He was a bulldozer of love."